What do you need to make crafts with your own hands? How to make an angel: the best ideas, tips for beginners from the masters.
An angel craft is a beautiful addition to the festive decor, but also a charm for your home, especially if the toy is made by hand. The craft returns to the origins of Christmas, suggesting that loved ones celebrate together the bright holiday of the birth of the Savior. By making these toys with children, you can talk about traditions, instilling in them a love of their culture and attachment to family values. But it is also important that this holiday attribute is optional. Only a sincere desire to create will push you to creativity, which means that the resulting toy will become truly valuable for your family.
Interior decor features
An angel is a symbol of a spiritual helper, protector and guardian. It is noteworthy that the image of the graceful messenger of heaven with wings behind his back is found in many cultures of the world and is a symbol of purity, purity, but also protection from evil forces and disasters. Figurines, pendants and crafts in the shape of an angel are used to decorate houses for any holidays, but this tradition is especially strong at Christmas.
It was the angels, according to legend, who brought the news of the birth of the Savior to the shepherds, and they also chose the spruce as a festive tree. Creating crafts of angels for children, kids are told a story that on the night of the birth of Christ, all the trees in the forest bloomed and gave delicious fruits, but it was the spruce that attracted the celestials with its wonderful aroma and eternal greenery. Since then, every year, a Christmas tree has been decorated in the house, and small toys have been placed nearby. An angel made with your own hands introduces children to the history of the holiday, and not only decorates the house.
In a modern interior, delicate toys can be placed not only as part of the Christmas tree decoration. Depending on the style of creating a toy, a do-it-yourself Christmas angel craft can be installed:
- openwork carvings in 2D format (flat carved outlines) are placed on windows and walls;
- figurines and volumetric toys are installed on shelves, tables;
- soft toys in the shape of angels sit on the bed.
Often, crafts are created functional, for example, a salt shaker in the shape of an angel, a bell or a wallet with wings. In this case, the toy does not just become a home decoration, but is a useful addition.
Note! In the old days, large-sized figurines of angels were placed under the Christmas tree. But during the Soviet era, they were replaced with figures of Santa Claus and Snow Maiden. In the same period, paper crafts of angels began to be created small and placed not under the tree, but on it or next to it, but disappeared from the interior altogether. Today, many families are returning to pre-revolutionary traditions, leaving statuettes with wings next to gifts under the tree.
What materials do you need to make an angel?
A characteristic feature of an angel child's craft is an elongated base figurine with wings behind its back. But the material from which the toy is made, each master chooses at his own discretion, depending on what is easier and more interesting for him to work with. It is important for crafts to maintain a recognizable shape.
The simplest and at the same time popular materials for making an angel craft are:
- Paper, cardboard … Crafts are made using openwork cutting technique. Such toys can be light weightless or dense. As a rule, white paper is taken for work to emphasize the purity and innocence of heavenly creatures, but multi-colored angels will look very beautiful and unusual, especially if they are an addition to a monochrome interior. But the fabric can also act as a basis for cutting, for example, felt does not dissolve at the cut points and keeps its shape well. Making an angel craft out of felt with your own hands is as easy as making paper, you just need to take not office scissors, but sharp sewing ones. These angels can be flat and placed on windows, walls or as pendants, or they can be added volume using figurines or table decor.
- Yarn … Crochet or knitting needles create both volumetric and flat figures. To work you need yarn and a knitting tool. Additionally, knitted toys are decorated with beads, sequins, beads. And if you do not want to complicate the design with sewn-on decor, take lurex thread for the base (it already contains shiny particles).
- Beads … Sparkling beads can serve not only as a decorative element, but also as a base material. For volumetric weaving, you will need beads, beads, bugles and fishing line or wire. DIY miniature angel crafts for Christmas look good as Christmas tree decorations. With a sufficient number of them, you can decorate the Christmas tree in a single design style.
- Wood … This is a great material for creativity: angels can be cut in 2D format and used as Christmas tree decorations or New Year's installations, or be voluminous and act as coasters, napkin holders or just decorative elements.
- Polymer clay … With the help of sculpting, very neat figures are obtained that can be used as paperweights, napkin rings, or simply as a table decoration. It is easy to find master classes of functional crafts of angels for every taste.
- Textile … Stitched stuffed toys will require certain skills. Working with patterns and fabric details is inherently simple, but time consuming. The indisputable advantage of this technique is the receipt of unique toys that can be presented to children. At the same time, it is not necessary to sew with a sewing machine, most of the parts can be fastened with a needle and thread by hand. The simplest fabric angels are toys with a burlap base and delicate wings. This material, although fabric, does not require lengthy processing. The glued burlap can be shaped like cardboard without fear that the craft will lose its shape.
Crafts created using combinations of several techniques look unusual, for example, textile bases with knitted openwork wings or beaded angels with paper wings. An angel craft made from cotton pads can be complemented by expensive satin ribbons, and polymer clay can be combined with knitted knitting - the unity of various textures conveys the spirit of Christmas, a holiday when the whole family gets together.
In addition to the basic materials and their combinations, the work may need components to decorate the toy. Their type and number are limited only by the imagination of the master. Most often, in specialized stores for creativity, in order to decorate the crafts of angels with their own hands, they buy paints for painting on fabric, decorative feathers, beads, beads, openwork and satin ribbons, inlays, glitter, sparkles.
Also, do not forget about the materials for fastening. Depending on the location of the craft, additional threads, pins, paper clips can act as such fasteners. Flat paper cuts are fixed directly on the window with glue or soapy water, and for bulky toys, for example, angel crafts made of felt, you will need to sew a separate loop of nylon thread as an attachment.
Note! If you want to make a DIY Christmas angel craft, then it is not at all necessary to buy materials in a specialized store, it is likely that you already have everything you need at home. For example, you can loosen an old sock for knitting, and use cut pieces of fabric for sewing. You can draw a smile to an angel with an ordinary felt-tip pen, and tint your cheeks with real blush. Use confetti for glitter and feathers from an old pillow for the wings. Show your imagination, and you will get the best charm with your own hands.
How to make an angel for Christmas?
Choose the way how to make an angel's craft with your own hands based on your skills and available materials, as well as decorating tasks. It is better to try to create the first crafts from office paper. This material is in every home and costs almost nothing. But knitted and fabric toys will require more strength and patience on your part.
The design of the angel crafts is approximately the same: an elongated base (head and torso) with wings behind the back. At the same time, the figure often has a conical shape, imitating an angelic chiton, it is not always necessary to think over all the details of such a figurine. The level of detail of the figurine and clothing is different and depends on the author's ideas.
An angel paper craft in its simplest form is a cone glued from a sheet, to one side of which two feathers are attached. But if you want to experiment, then try folding an A4 sheet of paper into an accordion. Cut this accordion lengthwise 1/3 the length of the paper. Seal the end of the cut with glue or a sling of threads, and then straighten the "accordion". The robe of an angel unfolds from below, and from above there are two wings. Attach a large bead as a head. Carved toys are also made entirely of paper. In this case, the body is shaped like a cone, and the head and wings are cut flat and glued to the cone body. Small, completely white figurines look very beautiful as an additional decoration for a festive table.
Knitted toys, contrary to popular belief, do not require significant knitting experience and special study of technology. By repeating a few simple loops, you can quickly make a cone-body and fishnet wings. Depending on the materials used, you will need to additionally starch the toy so that it holds its shape well. But there are also separate knitted techniques that immediately allow you to form a dense product with a rigid frame.
When creating toys using the beading technique, you should also know a few basic techniques for working with the material. If you use loose weaving, then you should take wire as a base so that the toy keeps its shape. But tight knits will be stable, even if made on a fishing line. Having figured out the principles of creating a toy, you can easily come up with your own Christmas angel craft. For example, a cone-body of a craft can be formed from a long wire with strung beads, and several pins attached to the cone will serve as wings.
To make an angel craft from polymer clay, you need to sculpt the head, wings, chiton. Every detail is carefully thought out and drawn. Before the clay hardens, it is imperative to think over the mount for such a toy. It is quite difficult to attach it to the hardened material. Polymer clay angels are often complemented by fabric capes. The combination of hard material and soft fabric looks very unusual.
To make an angel craft out of felt or other fabric, you can use the same principle of simplified shapes: the cone is the body, the ball is the head, and the small bow loops in the back are the wings. But you can also make a full-fledged soft toy by finding the necessary patterns on needlewomen forums or in thematic magazines. Sintepon, cotton wool, finely chopped scraps of fabric, foam balls and other materials can be used as fillers for such toys.
In the sewing technique, the combination of materials is also encouraged. So, for example, the head, arms and legs of an angel can be made of polymer clay, the body can be sewn and filled with soft material, and the wings can be tied or made of feathers. Unusual combinations delight guests, and an exclusive toy will become a real talisman for your home.
Tips from the masters
The advantage of homemade angel crafts for children is that their designs best suit your ideas. The toy can be given any position of the figure, supplemented with details, create a whole series or collection in various techniques. For example, you can put the star of Bethlehem in the hands of a paper angel. And the fabric keeper will iron the felt cat. The size of the toys at your request can vary from miniature to extra large.
If you are studying master classes on how to make an angel craft with your own hands, you can recreate the first toy as the author intended. Once you've gotten a handle on the creative technique, try to push yourself out of the box and add personality to the toy. For example, make a paper angel not white, but gold from holographic paper, but a rag one from burlap and soutache. Such toys will look even more interesting if you paint them yourself or add handwritten wishes.
When creating such toys, do not forget about the conditions of their use and storage. It is important to remember that paper angels should be kept away from open flames and heating elements. They should also be stored carefully, but be prepared that in 2-3 years the toy will turn yellow, you will have to make a new one. The same rule applies to openwork knitted crafts - they should be used and stored extremely carefully.
To whiten the do-it-yourself textile crafts of angels for Christmas, do not use too aggressive chemicals, as this can significantly worsen the condition of the threads, and, accordingly, disrupt the shape and strength of the toy.
Crafts made of polymer clay and burlap are durable, but if children play with them, it is important that only environmentally friendly materials that are safe for kids are used when creating an angel (this even applies to fabric dyes and toy fillers).
How to make an angel with your own hands - watch the video:
Hand-made angel craft is not just a beautiful home decoration, but a real amulet, a symbol of goodness and prosperity that awaits residents in the New Year. The toy keeps the warmth of its creator's hands and can be a wonderful gift for a loved one, especially since it is very easy to make a beautiful figurine. There are many master classes for crafts of angels from scrap materials, but with your imagination, you can come up with your own unique technology on how to make a heavenly messenger for your home.
